Sorry to bother, but I need help with IDing this boat

I was recently offered a 1978 Gibson Fiberglass Houseboat, free of charge with the only stipulation being that I must haul it away and it needs to be restored a bit. I know almost nothing about boats, aside from kayaking and canoeing and so I tried to do a little research online about this boat. Well, it doesn't seem to follow most typical house boat standards and I was wondering if anyone on this forum could tell from a few photos whether or not it would be capable of performing as a trawler does.

In short, do you think the boat in these pictures is comparable to a trawler? I always vaguely wanted something like a trawler but this restoration would take quite a lot of time and effort (which I'm willing to put in if I could use this boat in coastal areas as well as large rivers).

Photo Album - Imgur

http://imgur.com/a/TDQyI#0

No this boat was not designed for coastal use, but would be OK for rivers and much of the Intracoastal Waterway.
However the cost to restore it may not be worth spending the money on it, and it may not be in good enough condition to try to restore. You might consider hiring a boat yard manager or service manager or marine surveyor to look at the boat before you go further.

Like Yachbrokerguy said, sheltered water only. From the looks of it that would be a very expensive free boat.

Completely agree with the above advice. The most expensive boats are free boats.

If it checks out well and the numbers add up it could make a good inland boat.

Gibson Gibson (Power) House Boat Boats For Sale

Rivers and lakes only. And I concur, that the cost might likely be prohibitive.

I'm not sure I'd even want to take that thing on a river. At least not a big river like the Mississippi or others where there are towboats throwing out big wakes and stuff. I would regard that houseboat as a reservoir boat only. The fact that it lives in a tree is not very encouraging. It's probably filthy with gunk washed down inside window tracks and vents with God knows what growing in the bilge and other closed spaces.

There's a reason it's free. If you were looking for a ready-made chicken coop I'd say you might have a real good deal there. If you want a boat, I'd say keep looking.

It would cost you more to dispose of her than she is worth. The problem with this boat is that by the time you completed any work you would still have nothing and you could have taken that money and just purchased a nice trawler to do what you want.
Even if the boat was of the design to do what you wanted and could be repaired. Are you interested in boating enough to take on the monthly expense of owning a boat. The purchase price is only the start. I make this comment based on what I believe I read between the lines of your post. If I miss read this, then sorry.

I know a few fellows that have lots of time on their hands would love a project like this, but these guys would do it for the challenge not so much for the use afterwards. Personally I would be nervous ( nope not nervous - just wouldn't ) placing it in the ocean and like the rest here said, would think it to be more bother than it's worth. I know it sounds like a good deal but unless you are willing to place the same amount in this as a good trawler you would be better off going the latter. At least you would get the use out of the purchase of the trawler more than this craft.

Good luck with your decision!

Elwin

Years ago when I boated on the Mississippi I had many friends with Gibsons. Gibson owned the Marina where we kept out boat. There are many well cared for Gibsons still moving on the rivers, many for sale too that would in the long run be a lot less money than trying to redo the vessel you pictured. You are in prime country to look for a great buy in good shape, Kentucky Lakes and the Ohio River. Just above St Louis there are many still floating around and many more parked in the trees waiting for the next flood to take them away.

Thanks so much for all the replies, they have been immensely helpful. I made add however, that all my life I have been very against borrowing money and taking out loans, so without a "project boat" I may never end up owning one. I am completely fine spending the amount money on this boat that I may spend to buy a new one just to never have payments hanging over my head and to work at my own pace. I also have a lot of free time from my job so time isn't too much of a problem either. Is this still a bad idea?

Again, thanks for all the advice and opinions. They have been received and will all be pondered thoroughly.

Edit: As a side note, I live a stone's throw from the Ohio River so that's where I would mainly stay.

snaresamn said:

Is this still a bad idea?

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It all depends on what you want to do with the boat. I believe you said in your original post you were wanting a boat to do what a "trawler" does. Well, a houseboat isn't a cruiser and never will be. So you really have to decide and define what you want your boat to be. If you want a houseboat then this is one, albeit what appears to be a junker.

But if you want a true cruiser that will do what the boats most of us on this forum have, the Gibson won't be what you want.

If you definitely want a houseboat, whether or not this one is a bad idea is pretty much up to you. If you have the skills or are willing and able to learn them to bring that tree-dweller up to snuff, then it could be a fun albeit sometimes frustrating project. I have no idea what you'd be looking at in terms of cost-- it depends on how messed up the boat is and just how much restoration you want to do.

So lots of variables but they're all in your court.

snaresamn said:

I was recently offered a 1978 Gibson Fiberglass Houseboat, free of charge with the only stipulation being that I must haul it away and it needs to be restored a bit. I know almost nothing about boats, aside from kayaking and canoeing and so I tried to do a little research online about this boat. Well, it doesn't seem to follow most typical house boat standards and I was wondering if anyone on this forum could tell from a few photos whether or not it would be capable of performing as a trawler does.

In short, do you think the boat in these pictures is comparable to a trawler? I always vaguely wanted something like a trawler but this restoration would take quite a lot of time and effort (which I'm willing to put in if I could use this boat in coastal areas as well as large rivers).

Photo Album - Imgur

http://imgur.com/a/TDQyI#0

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2 answers..

1. House boats are for protected waters, but when open waters are flat...what's the difference? So the answer to coastal and river cruising is ...yes...the boat can handle rivers and coastal cruising on the East coast where you have the intracoastal waterway. Two issues for you though...because of their low freeboard forward...you have to make darn sure your hull/deck ate watertight if you do encounter some big wakes/rough waters and to avoid lots of bad weather...you need to be very mindful of forecasting ahead. (which is where houseboaters do get into trouble on open waters).

2. Houseboats are often constucted more like huses on a hull than true boats...including materials. That makes them a bit more flimsy and they suffer from neglect terribly. There's often a lot of exposed wood in their construction and the slightest amount of openings to the weather invite rot... The boat in the picture could be fine...or have lot's of rot...you need to look and look hard.

I understand the project boat mentality. I'm doing one myself too because of my financial situation....so I understand the "get in" and get going mentality than waiting till I could afford something "off the shelf"... the difference is that I have LOTs of boating/repair experience and knew what I was getting into and how to fix every problem that could bite me later.

So good luck...just don't jump on something because it's free or the first "good deal" that came along...in the boating world...there's plenty of those.

We had to put our old farm cat down last year after many years of excellent demousing service. Not wanting to be without a good farm cat I looked around for a free one.
I found one that was about 9 months old and bit feral. To get him adjusted to his new home, the plan was to lock him in the garage with food and water for a few days. His plan was to crawl up under my truck and hide on the spare tire. Wanting to leave in the truck the first morning, I reached up inside to 'drag' him out. He bit me....I mean really bit me and the infection set in immediately. The doctor and meds cost me about $600.
I now have a $600 free cat.

Anode said:

We had to put our old farm cat down last year after many years of excellent demousing service. Not wanting to be without a good farm cat I looked around for a free one.
I found one that was about 9 months old and bit feral. To get him adjusted to his new home, the plan was to lock him in the garage with food and water for a few days. His plan was to crawl up under my truck and hide on the spare tire. Wanting to leave in the truck the first morning, I reached up inside to 'drag' him out. He bit me....I mean really bit me and the infection set in immediately. The doctor and meds cost me about $600.
I now have a $600 free cat.

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Exactly!

Elwin

I read many but not all posts on this thread... so... what I say may have already been stated.

THIS JUNK BOAT WILL COST YOU $$$$$$$ AND TIME AND HEADACHES AND POSSIBLY YOUR LIFE!

For yours and others safety find a craft in at least reasonable condition to begin with. Besides NOT being seaworthy at all for any kind of sea conditions and NOT BEING the seafaring design quality of a trawler type boat... this wasted tub clearly looks as though it is only worth cutting up and discarding. Thus the "FREE" tag current owner places upon it - so that someone else spends the time and $$$$ to junk that eye sore, not him!

Ask him if he will pay you $5K to take it off his hands... you might be surprised... naw, don't even do that... it would still be just a huge headache in the making for you!

Call all the boat yards in your area and ask for abandoned boats they may have. Let them know you may be able to take one off their hands. You might get lucky with a free or near free viable/seaworthy craft that is actually worth something. Too many boatyards now own legal rights to abandoned boats in this economy and some yards will be real accommodating to a person who wants to take one over, pay slip fees, and do refurbishment for their own boating pleasure/use...

BTW - If you find a viable boat - post picts here and ask opinions. I'm sure you will get plenty of independent, valuable answers! Cause, boating is a fun and pretty serious community where we all try to put our best foot forward for assistance to answer other boaters' needs. We each require some sort of help, one way or the other!

Must be nice to be so sure of yourself that over a computer you know whether a boat is worth being fixed up......

He doesn't want SEAWORTHY...he just wants a coastal cruiser...

If guys can do the great circle in a kayak, jet ski, pontoon boat...who the HECK are any of you to say what is seaworthy or not??????

snaresamn said:

Thanks so much for all the replies, they have been immensely helpful. I made add however, that all my life I have been very against borrowing money and taking out loans, so without a "project boat" I may never end up owning one. I am completely fine spending the amount money on this boat that I may spend to buy a new one just to never have payments hanging over my head and to work at my own pace. I also have a lot of free time from my job so time isn't too much of a problem either. Is this still a bad idea?

Again, thanks for all the advice and opinions. They have been received and will all be pondered thoroughly.

Edit: As a side note, I live a stone's throw from the Ohio River so that's where I would mainly stay.

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I share the aversion to debt. Financing depreciating assets may not be the worst idea in the world, but it is definitely among the top ten.

Find the cost for replacing the engine and stern drive with new. Add the cost of new stove, fridge, and head. If those numbers are attainable and acceptable double them for a oops factor. If you haven't ran away and you still find it worthwhile maybe it would work out?

I like to plan worst case scenarios. I like to be pleasantly surprised when it comes to spending money.

I too understand your commitment to be debt free. Have many friends that refuse to get into debt with the exception of their homes and even then have planned for an early retirement of that debt. A decision in life that is very difficult to stick to but has its own rewards.

Based on the short comments that you have made about the intended use of a boat, I would venture a guess that this boat will not meet your needs. These boats as has been stated many times are designed for protected waters. Some house boats allow limited coastal passage but this is not one of them.

I would recommend that you decide how you wish to use a boat. As you have decided on a more difficult way to acquire one, sweat labor, then you must choose your first boat wisely. If I may suggest, think carefully on how you would like or envision yourself using the boat. Then pick a style of boat that fits it. Based on your writings, a trawler is a contender for your future. There are many available that would enable you to pick them up and work towards a fine boat. However, don't be so quick to take a price. You need good bones to work with. You will have plenty to spend your labor and money on. Structural or hull work can get expensive and difficult very quickly. Just life building a house, you need a good foundation on which to build your dream boat.

Good luck and keep looking, we have several people on our dock that have found such a boat at the right price and are enjoying the task of bringing them back to reliable status. You will too.

For those of you that keep hammering about "not suitable for coastal cruising"...

I found this on another site ....

I cruised the inland waters for 23 years in my Gibson 50' houseboat. It had
a 7.5 KWH Kohler generator that used one gallon per hour.

So there's at least another person out there that thinks it can be done...

psneeld said:

For those of you that keep hammering about "not suitable for coastal cruising"...

I found this on another site ....

I cruised the inland waters for 23 years in my Gibson 50' houseboat. It had
a 7.5 KWH Kohler generator that used one gallon per hour.

So there's at least another person out there that thinks it can be done...

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With all due respect to your past and current marine know-how:

Of course it CAN be done... Similar to; unicycle can be ridden on the Freeways across America, and row boat can be rowed across the ocean with enough planning. That said... for this guy who knows NOTHING about boats or marine conditions to get that clunker "houseboat" and try coastal cruising could well be his and others death sentence. Not to mention is loss of $$$$ and time invested when he finds it will probably be a big loss compared to any chance of a future sale price.

See #15 posted on this thread... I tried to give this fellow what I feel is a better way for him to go for locating a boat to suite his needs. Will admit I was a bit harsh re the houseboat... but straight on truthful in my opinion! Cheers!! - Art

I sale go for it. It's free, it's not truly a trawler, etc... but at worst you are looking parting it out and junking it. They actually look like they hold their value well in any event. Maybe you could get her running, cleaned up and on a nice lake somewhere. It looks like it'd make someone a great party barge, and if you kept your equity low, you might be able to trade up.

I wouldn't recommend it as a true open water trawler though. I was sitting at anchor yesterday taking wake rollers on the bow that would have swamped ya. (and yesterday was a beautiful sunny calm day in the Puget Sound)

Put a slide or two on that and you might have yourself a money-maker.

SomeSailor said:

I sale go for it. It's free, it's not truly a trawler, etc... but at worst you are looking parting it out and junking it. They actually look like they hold their value well in any event. Maybe you could get her running, cleaned up and on a nice lake somewhere. It looks like it'd make someone a great party barge, and if you kept your equity low, you might be able to trade up.

I wouldn't recommend it as a true open water trawler though. I was sitting at anchor yesterday taking wake rollers on the bow that would have swamped ya. (and yesterday was a beautiful sunny calm day in the Puget Sound)

Put a slide or two on that and you might have yourself a money-maker.

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Now that has possibilities as long as you don't have to do any major work and can turn it around. It would depend on the actual condition of the boat.

As far as parting the boat out, most times the cost of disposing of the hull will far exceed the value of the items you sell. He also need to have the boat hauled away from its present location.

A survey would be the best option and cheapest too. That way he would know if there is anything to consider and what it may take. The survey will also tell him what it would be worth after he spent all his time and money.

Definitely not a substitute for a Trawler. I currently own a Hatteras 48 LRC and a 1975 Cruise-a-Home houseboat. I would not even consider taking the Cruise-a Home off shore. We live on the LRC in the winter crusing the central and southern Mexican coast and the Sea of Cortes. The Cruise-a-Home is used in the summer on the California Delta. The Cruise-a-Home was somewhat of a project boat and although it looked like @#$%^# it had old but strong Mercruiser 160's that ran well. A survey identified some problems that were easily manageable to my wife and I - dry rot in the swim platform core, some dry rot around the doors and windows, one of the two 50 gallon fuel tanks had a leak, and one of the carbs needed rebuilding. All were relatively easy fixes that I could do myself. No other immediate problems we found.

First and formost get a qualified surveyor to look at the boat. A boat that old expecially one sitting on the hard for a period of time will have problems. If the problems identified by the surveyor are within your budget and personal ability range to fix you may have a good deal but don't take it off shore, as it's not made for those kinds of conditions. Gibson is a fairly good quality houseboat that I believe is still made so parts would not be all that outrageous in price (just remember that BOAT stands for "Bring Out Another Thousand").

the hull alone can be worth it (read free)...my last boss took an identical hull...beefed up the decking...got it inspected...reregistered it as a barge and has made tens of thousands of dallars leasing it out over the last 15 years or so...

psneeld said:

the hull alone can be worth it (read free)...my last boss took an identical hull...beefed up the decking...got it inspected...reregistered it as a barge and has made tens of thousands of dallars leasing it out over the last 15 years or so...

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PSN - - > Now... that sounds to be a cool and smartly profitable use for a "free" junker houseboat that this fellow is asking if it will perform like a Trawler on coastal water cruises. If he can turn it into a rentable unit, as you did, then great for him!

But... in answer to his original question - IMHO and as My Recommendation - - NO, Do Not Use That Boat for Coastal Cruises! I've experienced huge waves in sudden coastal storms. Waves that I guarantee would quickly swamp that or any other houseboat. Chances are all aboard would drown!

Art said:

PSN - - > Now... that sounds to be a cool and smartly profitable use for a "free" junker houseboat that this fellow is asking if it will perform like a Trawler on coastal water cruises. If he can turn it into a rentable unit, as you did, then great for him!

But... in answer to his original question - IMHO and as My Recommendation - - NO, Do Not Use That Boat for Coastal Cruises! I've experienced huge waves in sudden coastal storms. Waves that I guarantee would quickly swamp that or any other houseboat. Chances are all aboard would drown!

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Are you talking West coast coastal cruising or East coast?

There are thousands and thousands of houseboats cruising the Atlantic Intracoastal waterway every day...

psneeld said:

Are you talking West coast coastal cruising or East coast?

There are thousands and thousands of houseboats cruising the Atlantic Intracoastal waterway every day...

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Yo, PSN!

Snaresamn - - > A quote from his/her post # 1 on this thread (UL – mine!):

“I was wondering if anyone on this forum could tell from a few photos whether or not it would be capable of performing as a trawler does. In short, do you think the boat in these pictures is comparable to a trawler? I always vaguely wanted something like a trawler but this restoration would take quite a lot of time and effort (which I'm willing to put in if I could use this boat in coastal areas as well as large rivers).”


To the following excerpts (questions), from a person with no marine experience other than paddling or rowing - - > my answer is conclusively 1) NO! 2) NO! and 3) NOOOO!

Excerpts: 1) “... would be capable of performing as a trawler does.” / 2) “...do you think the boat in these pictures is comparable to a trawler?” / 3) “... if I could use this boat in coastal areas as well as large rivers ...”


“Coastal”... to me connotes off shore of a coast, i.e. in an ocean. “Intracoastal” connotes in shore water ways.

Maybe Snaresamn, this thread’s originator, should clarify! Haven heard from him/her since 5/11, Post # 10.What up Snaresamn... Got Any Other Thoughts to Share??Plenty of input from us boat nuts so far!

snaresamn said:

I know almost nothing about boats...

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If you managed to get this into the water and functional, you would end up knowing somewhat more about boats. But the expense of getting it _to_ (either) coast would dwarf the investment, and as others have pointed out it would not be suitable anway.

snaresamn said:

...capable of performing as a trawler does.

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With tongue planted firmly in cheek, I'll say "yes" - since most boats (trawlers included) spend the vast majority of their time tied to the pier, I think this boat would be very capable of being tied up. You cold even remove the engine and put in a wine cellar. (cf. "Boatniks")

Have someone with experience look at it and try to come up with a ballpark estimate of how much it would cost to get it in the shape that would satisfy you. Then double that estimate. If you are still comfortable with that number, then go for it. If you are motivated enough, you will learn what you need to know to fix it along the way, just like most of us did. This boat has plenty of living space and would make a great floating cottage on a calm river. If that is what you are looking for.

Somehow I think we are talking to ourselves. I haven't seen the OP for some time. Maybe our comments scared him off. I hope not.